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The Tempest Tales by Walter Mosley
This is an interesting short work by the author of Devil in a Blue Dress. It relates the story of a black man who is back on earth after his death, trying to convince an angel that he doesn't deserve to go to hell because he only did what he needed to do to survive. Short chapters relate new developments in the lives of the man and the angel ( Read more... ) -
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki
Every summer Rose comes to the same house at a beach with her family. She has always loved being there but this year things have changed, her parents are always fighting and her relatonship with her best friend Windy is strained ( Read more... ) -
Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
The Tamaki sisters created this beautiful graphic novel - Mariko did the prose and Jillian created the art. It's a lovely picture of a prep school girl who doesn't quite fit in. If you had a "I don't really belong here" type of high school experience (and I think a lot of people did!) you will find a lot to relate to here ( Read more... ) -
Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation
Not precisely a book by a PoC, since it is a book of essays, and some of them (by no means the majority) are by apparently-white people. Nonetheless, very relevant to this community.
I picked up Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation, edited by Adel Iskandar and Hakem Rustom, in a free box in my neighborhood. This is way outside ( Read more... ) -
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
I really enjoyed the essay collections that I read for this project. Bad Feminist took me the longest. The author survived some very difficult sexual trauma and in places the book is quite hard to read. What kept me going was her humor and her insightful analysis of popular culture. I would recommend this book, especially to those who are not ( Read more... ) -
Valerie Wilson Wesley - The Devil Riding
A solid mystery with a likeable heroine, tough and down to earth. I didn't much care for the love interest, he was way too slippery for my taste. -
Beasts of No Nation - Uzodinma Iweala
Beasts of No Nation is a rather deceptive book in that it's very slim and compact (a mere 142 pages in the edition I read) and yet the depth of the material makes it a difficult read. The plot follows a young child soldier in an unnamed African country who not only has unspeakable things happen to him but does the unspeakable to others. It reminded ( Read more... ) -
Huntress by Malinda Lo
If you have not encountered this science fiction and fantasy writer, I highly recommend her work which is primarily YA and GLBT oriented and features female protagonists. Huntress is set in the same universe as her acclaimed debut novel Ash. I read Ash in a previous year I recommend it more highly - but I enjoyed Huntress, just as I have enjoyed ( Read more... ) -
5 Shots by Jemir Robert Johnson
Close to the finish line here. I was intrigued by this collection of comic-style shorts about the telepath Jay Novo and her partner Randy in the private investigation business. However, though it was interesting ultimately I didn't feel I got a lot out of it ( Read more... ) -
Changing My Minds: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith
I picked this one up because of a review in this community and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it a lot. The essays cover a broad range from George Eliot and E. M. Forster over writing and Liberia to movie reviews and personal life. I found the author's voice to be pleasant and original. A lot of the book made me think or smile or both. My favorites were ( Read more... )